SOCCER PLAYER – RONALDINHO

Introduction:

Born on 21st of March, 1980, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira or most commonly known as Ronaldinho is a professional Brazilian soccer player.  In January 2007, Ronaldinho became a naturalized Spanish citizen.  The meaning of Ronaldinho is “little Ronaldo” thus, he is better known as Ronaldinho Gaucho by nickname in Brazil in order to differentiate him from Ronaldo.  Ronaldinho has been rewarded the FIFA World Player of Year award couple of times, FIFPro World Player of the Year two times, and the European Soccer Player of the Year once.  At present, Ronaldinho is under contract with FC Barcelona till 2010.  As a child Ronaldinho’s soccer skills began to flourish due to his interest in beach football.  At the age of 13, Ronaldinho shot the entire 23 goals for a 23-0 victory for his team against a local team.  In the under-17 world championship of the Egypt 1997, Ronaldinho was recognized as a rising star soccer player of future.

International Career:

In the soccer history, Ronaldinho is one of few players to play at each soccer competitions level as he has played at senior level, under 23, under 20, under 17, and under 15.  Ronaldinho’s first appearance for his country Brazil was on March 7, 1995 against Scotland, with Brazil losing the game with 1-0, which was a under 15 match.  In the recent FIFA World Cup 2006, Ronaldinho performances in all the Brazil’s five matches were a disappointment to both the commentators and the fans.  But the experts project that this striker will strike back soon.